MBM SP 100 O.S.C.A. Monteverdi

This little car came up for auction recently. Apparently it has had the same owner since 1978 and is built around some mechanicals of a 1957 Lotus 12. The "wobbly web" wheels are evident in the photos. As the Lotus 12 registrar for the HLR I would be very keen to be put in touch with the owner who until recently was in Switzerland. It is possible the car did not get a new owner at the auction. Either way I would like to find out more about this car. A link to the auction and photos of the car can be found here.

They made three cars at the time, one Osca engined and two powered by Ford. It's therefore unlikely that this car is based on the running gear of a Lotus 12, unless Monteverdi had access to three Loti. This example would appear to be the Osca engined car. These were the days before the production of the supercars, and at the time MBM were mainly constructing Formula Junior cars.

They made three cars at the time, one Osca engined and two powered by Ford. It's therefore unlikely that this car is based on the running gear of a Lotus 12, unless Monteverdi had access to three Loti. This example would appear to be the Osca engined car. These were the days before the production of the supercars, and at the time MBM were mainly constructing Formula Junior cars.

This unique OSCA engined car uses some components from Lotus 12 chassis 356. It was the only car that used Lotus components. The Lotus 12 was shipped new ex Lotus to Charles Vogele in 1957. after having been much modified and eventually set aside, the 5 speed gearbox, rear driveline and at least the four "wobbly web" wheels ended up in the MBM SP 100 car. Built initially for Ecurie HOBA. The rear mounted gearbox still runs three ratios according to the owner, which combined with the conventional 4 speed gearbox gives a potential 12 forward speeds. The history of the car is documented as far back as "Theme Lotus" by Doug Nye first published in 1978. It is understood that the other components of the Lotus 12 have long since been disposed of. I am aware that the car was put up for auction some years ago but is still in the hands of the same owner since 1978, unless of course it found a new owner at the recent auction. The car is in full running order and footage of it running can be found on You Tube.

The MBM Sp 100 was a one-off car. Monteverdi never built another one with this shape. But at the same time as the Sp 100, he brought out the MBM Tourismo, nothing else than a badge-engineered Heron Europa, a British Kit Car with Ford 105E power, another one-off according to the Monteverdi biography.

I can confirm that that MBM SP-100 was indeed unique and used parts from Charles Vögele's Lotus 12. The lightweight tubular frame was clothed by a barchetta body built by Basel coachbuilder Peter Häner. After Peter Monteverdi retired from racing following a crash at Hockenheim in 1961, the car was bought by Kurt Huber who tackled a couple of hillclimbs in 1965. The car was then discovered in a barn in 1978 and was restored from 1982 to 1992. The rebuilt car made a rare public appearance at the 2004 Altbüron hillclimb.

Charles Vögele sporadically used 356 in Swiss events in 1957 and 1958, without any modifications. Then he sold it to German Zimmermann, the man behind the Zimmermann Formula junior cars. Peter Monteverdi brought 356 back to Switzerland and had it rebodied to make it look like his absolute dream car at the time, the Maserati 250F. Then he drove the car in a minor F2 race at Zeltweg (23.09.59, DNF, but classified 7th).

After that, the car was dismantled and wheels and suspensions found their way into the MBM SP-100. Before Kurt Huber took it over in about 1964, the car had another outing at a Schauinsland club hillclimb 1963, organized by the Basel section of the Automobile Club of Switzerland (not to be confounded with the more prestigious German European Championship round), in the hands of Kurt Bohrer. The car was probably lent to him by Monteverdi.

Charles Vögele sporadically used 356 in Swiss events in 1957 and 1958, without any modifications. Then he sold it to German Zimmermann, the man behind the Zimmermann Formula junior cars. Peter Monteverdi brought 356 back to Switzerland and had it rebodied to make it look like his absolute dream car at the time, the Maserati 250F. Then he drove the car in a minor F2 race at Zeltweg (23.09.59, DNF, but classified 7th).

After that, the car was dismantled and wheels and suspensions found their way into the MBM SP-100. Before Kurt Huber took it over in about 1964, the car had another outing at a Schauinsland club hillclimb 1963, organized by the Basel section of the Automobile Club of Switzerland (not to be confounded with the more prestigious German European Championship round), in the hands of Kurt Bohrer. The car was probably lent to him by Monteverdi.

Thanks for all this extra information, does anyone have an idea about how to trace and contact the current owner? Regads Mike B Adelaide

Thanks for all this extra information, does anyone have an idea about how to trace and contact the current owner? Regads Mike B Adelaide

Hi Mike,

Forgive me if you have already done this but what about making an enquiry via Oldtimer Gallerie Toffen? They could at least confirm if the car was in fact sold at the auction. I am sure they would be able to pass on any email from you to the owner without breaching their data protection.